Marshalls Creek firefighters dedicate memorial to blast dead

Firefighters put themselves in danger for their communities and sometimes pay the highest price.

JENNA EBERSOLE

Firefighters put themselves in danger for their communities and sometimes pay the highest price.

But they wouldn't know any other way, the daughter of one firefighter killed in an explosion 50 years ago explained Saturday.

"It's in their blood," Anny Hines Jacoby said. "It's innate."

Jacoby was 6 years old when her father responded to the Marshalls Creek Volunteer Fire Co. call for a tractor-trailer fire early on June 26, 1964.

Her father was the kind of dad who took her for tractor rides and taught her how to golf 18 holes at age 5 because she wanted to learn — walking the whole course without a golf cart.

The Marshalls Creek explosion, which ignited as firefighters arrived to a flaming, unlabeled cargo of nitro carbo nitrate, partially gelatin dynamite and blasting caps, inspired key changes to the law for the hauling and labeling of hazardous materials.

But first, it took the lives of three civilians and three firefighters, including Leonard Mosier, 38, Francis Earl Miller, 50, and Jacoby's father, 42-year-old Edward Franklin Hines.

In a ceremony Saturday afternoon, the community gathered to remember the firefighters' sacrifice and honor the volunteers who continue in the same tradition today. The company dedicated a new memorial with prayers, bagpipes and comments from local leaders.

Surrounding fire and ambulance companies joined Marshalls Creek and lined the walkway to the memorial in uniform, a flag flying high in the air suspended between two firetrucks.

Jacoby, now living in North Carolina, said that each June continues to be difficult, and she still thinks of her father when she hears sirens.

She said she is "in awe" of the memorial.

"There's no words to explain it," she said. "There really isn't."

Jacoby encouraged the crowd to cherish each day. After the ceremony, she said she would want her father remembered as someone who had fun but also knew what he was about and his purpose as a volunteer.

"Life is not guaranteed," she said. "It's here today, gone tomorrow. Take what you have and treasure it."

Marshalls Creek Fire Co. Chaplain Eugene B. Berry Sr., said the explosion is deeply embedded in the identity of the company and the broader story of the volunteer fire service.

"It's our history. We're never going to forget," he said.

Cary and Kathy Tintle attended the ceremony from Winona Lakes. Kathy Tintle said she worked at the Marshalls Creek post office and has a tie to the community.

The couple also once came home to find their house on fire. Cary Tintle's eyes filled with tears as he remembered the efforts of first responders to the blaze.

He said the ceremony was a great tribute to the fallen volunteers.

"It shows that no matter what, people will never be forgotten when they do the right thing," he said.